Electron-discharge device



Jan. 12 1926. `-1,569,634l

asm-msnm ELECTRON DISCHARGE DEVICE Filed April l1. 1922 gem!! `To all 'whom t may concer/n.'

Patented klan. 12, 1926.

uNiTEDqsrArEs PATENT oFFicE.

PAUL sCEzWEEIN, or NEW YomnN. Y., AssIoNoE To WEsTEEN ELECTRIC COMPANY,

INConroRaTED, or NEW Yonx, N. Y.,;AV CoEronATIoN oE NEW Yoax.

ELECTnoN-DISCIIARCE DEVICE.

Application nien p1-u 11;"192?. serial No. 551,531.

Be it known that- IQPAUL SCHWERIN, a.

v citizen-of the United States, residing at New.York, inthe county of New York,l

State oi- New,York, have invented certain new and vuseful lImprovements in Electron- Dischar e Devices, of which the following isa ful, clear, concise, and exact" descripcharge devices andpertains' especially toa telephone transmitter employing a space arge current.

., 1t is an object of' the invent-ion to'transorirr mechanical vibrations into electricall vibrations for the purpose `of transmitting speech" or signals.

Anothery object of the invention is -to transmit speech waves, or thelike, by causing variations in the impedance ot an electric discharge device through the agency of mechanical vibrations.

-These and other objects of the invention may be accomplished by providing within an electron discharge device a grid having apertures, the size of which may be varied diaphragm by speech waves iinpinging' and means for causing variations in the size of said apertures inirespo'nse tomlechanical vibrations developed exterior of the device. These vibrations may be developed in a thereon.

In the accon'ipanying drawing, the single igureis an elevat1on,'partly broken away,

-. of an embodiment ol the invention.

f Avessel 10 is provided with a stem 1l,

from which an arbor 12 extends into the. v centra-l portion of the vessel. 'A plate or i. anode 13 isA supported from the arbor 12 by the wires-14. A Wire 15 is sealed in the,y

' approximately strung over.. connected to end. of the -arbor 12 andextends upwardl and over the anode 13 and is provided wit a hook 16 at its free end which is disposed symmetrical with respect to the .end of the'arbor 12. Al filament 17 is the hook 16 and has its.end`s leading-in Wires 18 sealed in A. leading-in lwire 19, also sealed rovided for. the anode 13.

" The control e ectrode is composed of two the stem.

vgrid members 20 and- 21 of which 20 -is rigidlyv supported from the arbor 12 by means 'of wires 22 and from the stem 11 by *a-leading-in-wire 23 sealed in the stem.

The 'upper end of the vessel 10 comprises United States patent to Houslreeper No.

tion betweenthe glass V1,293,441, to form a vacuum tight connecortion -of the vessel 'and the'member 24. he grid 21 is supported from the member'24 by means of. a

rod 25, extending through. and carried by the member 24, and is provided at its lower end with' a rod 26 fitting in an eyelet 27, sup orted from the stem 11. The member to the member 2O and may be'caused to f reciprocate by movement transmitted there;

to through the rod 25." Thegrid members '20 and 21 areprovided with horizontal slots.l

which, when the-grid members are in one position, form apertures of av width-equal entire-electrode. In other os'itions of the grids, the apertures are of ess width than the slots. v

Surrounding the ncck of the vessel 10 and inountedl thereon is a collar 28. Adisc 29 isfsupported from the collar 28 by means of the bolts 30 passing through the collar 28 and threaded into theI disc 29. Nuts 31 hold the bolts 30 in position on the collar 29. In the lower portion of the disc 29 is'a lcircular smeket in which is arranged a 'diaphragm 32 having apertures through which pass the ends of the bolts 30. Around the' periphery ot the diaphragm 32 is a holder 33, por,

tions of which overlap each face of the diaphragm. On the bolts 30 areprovided helical springs 34, one set of ends of which bear against the'holder 33 to force it against the bottom of thesocket in the disc 29 to put the diaphragm 32 under tension and the other set of ends bear against nuts 35 on the bolts 30. The portion ofthe rod 25 exterior 'of the' vessel l0 is screw-threaded and pro.

`ie'cts throughan aperture in the diaphragm '37 i'inpinge against the'diaphragin 32 causing the vibration thereof. These vibrations are ytothat of the slots extending through the 70 211s thus reciprocatively mounted relativecommunicated to the grid 21 through the medium of the rod 25 and cause a reciproca tion of the grid21 relative tothe grid 20 'Iheeflective size of the openings through 5 the control member is varied by the reciprocation of the grid member 21, therebycausing variations in the impedance of' the space current between the cathode 17. and the anode 13. The resulting variations in the space current may be transmitted to a distant point according to any of thel wellknown methods.` Obviously l)either direct current or alternating current may be modulated by the arrangement of the invention in accordance with thc signals to be transn'iitted. l

' The tension applied to the diaphragm 32 may be varied by adjusting the nuts 35, and bymanipulation of thenuts 36won the rod 25 adjust-ment may be made to obtain a maxi imnin sensitiveness of the device. f

yIt is, of' course, understood that various modifications may be made in the structural features of this device without in any way departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. For example, it is within the contemplation of this invention that the control electrode and the anode be of substantially cylindrical configuration and that the cathode be a straight filament eo-axial with the control electrode and anode. The grid supporting rod may be given a lateral motion as shown in DeForest patent No. 1,309,753, in which case the slots should vverse yto the direction ofv movement.

The invention claimed is: e 1. A transmitting device comprising a vessel a portion of the wall of which is flexible, a pair of grids within said vessel, one of said grids being movable relative to the other, and means connecting lsaid' flexible portion and said movable gr1d.

2. An electronl discharge device comprising a vessel a portion of the wall of which is flexible, a pair of grids within said vessel, one of said grids bfeing mounted for reciprocation relative to the other, and means connecting said flexible portion and said reciprocable grid.

3. A telephone transmitter comprising a vessel having a flexible portion, a pair of grids within saidvessel, one of said grids being capableo. reciprocation relative to the other, a rod connecting said flexible portion and said movable grid, a diaphragm supported by said vessel and a rigid connection between saidv flexible portion and said diaphragm. i Y

4. A transmit-ting device comprising a vessel having a flexible portion, a pair of grids-.within said vessel, one of said grids being novable` relative to the other, a rod connecting said movable grid and said flexi- 05 ble portion, a diaphragm .supported by said referably be arranged trans- 1,5ee,es4

vessel, and. a rigid connection between said diaphragm and said flexible ortion.

5. An electron discharge evicecomprising a vessel having a flexible portion and a stem, a grid memberrigidly supported by said steln, a wire sealed in said stem and having an eye at its free end, a second grid member, a rod extending from said second grid member and passing through said eye, and a second rod carried by said second grid and connected to said flexible portion.

6. A telephone transmitter comprising a vessel having a flexible portion, a stationary and a movable grid within said vessel, a rod connecting said movable grid and Said'flexi-V .ble portion, a collar supported by said vessel exterior thereof, a diaphragm supported by said collar, and a rigid connection between said diaphragm and said flexible portion.

7 A transmitting device comprising a vessel having a neck closed by a flexible member, a movable grid within said vessel, xa rigid connection between said grid and said flexible member,a collar carried by said neck exterior of said vessel, a disc having 9U a socket, a diaphragm located in said socket, bolts. connected to said collar and said disc and passing through said diaphragm, adjustable abutment members on said bolts, springs interposed between said diaphragm and said abutment members, and a rigid connection between said diaphragm and said flexible member.

8.- An electron dischargp device comprising a. vessel having a nec ya flexible member sealed in said neck, astationary and a movable grid within said vessel, and a rigidl connection between said movable grid and said flexible member.

9. A telephone transmitter comprising a vessel having a flexible portion, a cathode and anode, a air of ids interposed between said cat ode an anode, one of sa1d grids being movable relative to the other, and means connecting said flexible portion and said movable rrid.

10. A transmitt1ng.device ,comprising a vessel having a flexible portion, a cathode, an anode, a grid electrode interposed between said cathode and anode, and means for varying the effective area of the o enings through said grid in response to vi ration of sa1d flexible portion.

11. A telephone transmitter comprising a vessel having aflexible portion, a cathode, an anode, a grid electrode interposed between said cathode and anode, means for varying the effective area of the openings throughsaid grid electrode in response to vibration of sa1dflexible portion, and means responsive to speech for vibrating said flexible portion. i

12. In combination, a vessel having! a l' flexible portion, a cathode, an anode, a grid electrode interposed between said cathode and susv anode, and means varying the eeetive -sur face of .said grid electrode in response lto 'vibration of said ,flexible portion,

13, In combination a vessel having a flexible portion, a cathode, an anode, and a. grid interposed between said cathode and anode.I means varying the effective surface of said grid in response to vibration of said. iiexibvle portion, and means responsive to speech'for vibrating said iexible portion...

14. In combination a glass 2vessel, a iexibie metal insert forming a portion of said vessel, a-cathode, an anode,`a yrnovable grid i interposed between said cathode and anode,

a member connecting said grid and said 15,

metalr insert, a diaphragm, and a member connecting said diaphragm and metal insert whereby speech Waves impressed upon `said diaphragm lare eeetive to `cause vibration of said grid.

my nime this-5th l'day of April A. D., 1922.

PAUL SCHWERIN.

\ 20 In 'witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe. i 

